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1. Encourage your student to visit
our office. If your student is
feeling anxious about his/her future, suggest
that they check out our
website and make
an appointment to meet with a career
counselor to discuss their interests and
options.
2. Ask your student, "Have
you visited the career center?" If you hear,
"You only go there when you are a senior,"
then it's time to reassure them that career
services is not just for seniors, and meeting
with a career counselor can take place at
any point in their college career. The sooner
a student becomes familiar with the staff,
resources, and programs, the better prepared
he or she will be to make wise career decisions.
3. Advise your student to write
a resume. Writing a resume can
be a "reality test" and can help a student
identify weak areas that require improvement.
Suggest to your student that they read this
handout
on resume writing[ 
791k]. You can review resume drafts for
grammar, spelling, and content, but recommend
that the final product be critiqued by a
Career Services professional.
4. Allow your student to make the
decision. It's okay to make suggestions
about majors and career fields, professional programs, and graduate schools, but let
your student be the ultimate judge of what's
best for them. Career development can be
stressful. Maybe this is the first really
big decision that they have had to make.
Be patient, sympathetic and understanding,
even if you don't agree with their decisions.
Myth: A student must
major in something "practical" or marketable.
Truth: Students should
follow their own interests and passions.
Myth: Picking your major
means picking the career you will have
forever.
Truth: That's not true
anymore. "Major" does not necessarily
mean "career", and it is not unusual for
a student to change majors. Many students
change majors after gaining more information
about specific fields of study and career
fields of interest. Many students end
up doing something very different than
originally planned, so don't freak out
when they come up with an outrageous or
impractical career idea. Chances are plans
will develop and change. It's okay to
change majors—and careers.
5. Emphasize the importance of
internships. Career Services does
not "place" your student in a job at graduation.
Colleges grant degrees, but not job guarantees,
so having relevant experience in this competitive
job market is critical. Students can sample
career options by completing internships
and experimenting with summer employment
opportunities or volunteer work.
Why an internship?
- Employers are interested in communication,
problem-solving, and administrative skills,
which can be developed through internships.
- Employers look for experience on a student's
resume and often hire from within their
own internship programs.
- Having a high GPA is not enough.
- A strong letter of recommendation from
an internship supervisor can often tip
the scale of an important interview in
their favor.
6. Encourage extracurricular involvement.
Part of experiencing college life is to
be involved and active outside the classroom.
Interpersonal and leadership skills—qualities
valued by future employers—are often
developed in extracurricular activities.
7. Persuade your student to stay
up-to-date with current events.
Employers will expect students to know what
is happening around them. Buy your student
a subscription to the New York Times
or the Wall Street Journal. When
they are home on break, discuss major world
and business issues with them.
8. Expose your student to the world
of work. Most students have a stereotypical
view of the workplace. Take them to your
workplace. Explain what you do for a living.
Show him or her how to network by interacting
with your own colleagues. Help your student
identify potential employers.
9. Teach the value of networking.
Introduce your student to people who have
the careers/jobs that are of interest. Suggest
your student contact people in your
personal and professional networks for information
on summer jobs. Encourage your student to
conduct informational
interviews or "shadow" someone in the
workplace to increase awareness of interesting
career fields.
10. Help us help your student!
If you have a summer, internship,
part-time or full-time job opening, please
let us know. Call 715.425.3572 to speak
with our Recruitment Coordinator or check
out our Employer
Information website. If you're willing
to share your career experience with our
students or alumni, we'd love to have you
join our mentor
network.
Inspired by
A
Parents' Guide to Career Development by Thomas J. Denham.
Here are some additional resources
for parents and family members:
Career
Articles for Parents with College Students
Your
Child's Career: A guide and resources
through the career development process.
Career
Development Resources for Parents &
Families - University of St. Thomas
I
Want My Child to... survey
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